Landslide
by Hemel Lassie
Summary: A catastrophe in the making affects the lives of all our favorite Numb3rs characters...ever need to just get away? A suggestion from Bradford leads to revelations for Don and peril for Charlie. Ch 7 revised plus 8
1. Chapter 1

Landslide

By Sylvia Mohr Bartlett

Aka Lady Lochinvar aka Hemel Lass(ie)

_Hey, gang…this chapter has been revamped, so if you care to…read it again for the first time. Chapter Two is also done and will be posted forthwith. Like the sound of that? Forthwith. Always thought that was a cool expression. Know what I mean? Sylvia Mohr Bartlett as of yesterday I am a single lady again!_

_05/08/2007_

Chapter 1: Everybody Needs A Little Time Away

Don slowly raised his head, only to promptly get bonked on the head with a relatively small rock. He pushed himself up of f the ground. The horror of what had just happened was thrumming through his entire being as he started looking around. Where was Charlie?

"Charlie?"

No answer….just the continuing sounds of debris and detritus falling all about him. Oh, God, no! His brother had just saved his life. Please, God, don't let it be that he did so at the cost of his own.

"Charlie?????? Buddy, where are you?" Don had never really believed that your heart could literally be in your throat, but he was readjusting his perspective on that particular expression right now. His despair was growing exponentially by the second.

_Calm down, Eppes. Calm down. Don't panic! Come on, you are a highly trained professional FBI agent. Work the problem . Work the problem….work the freakin' problem._ He literally took a slow deep breath – in through the nose, out through the mouth and let his brain tissues be calmed by the oxygen boost he had just given himself.

On impulse, Don had agreed to take a weekend off work for some 'quality time' with his kid brother. Away from the cases, away from home, away from the stress of everyday life – _Okay, be honest, Don…you were practically ordered to do this by your shrink! Shouldn't have taken that kick start, but it did._

He hadn't realized how badly he needed this time away, or how much in need Charlie was of it, as well, until he had suddenly shown up in Charlie's office at Cal Sci the day before. "Hey, bro."

"Don? What can I do for you?"

"Do I have to have something I need from you for me to come and see my brother?" Don had retorted.

"Well, no, but let's face it….you usually do."

"Yeah. Well, sorry about that, kid. I just wanted to ask – you have any plans this weekend?"

"Not really, why?"

"I feel the need to commune with Mother Nature."

"You do….you turning over a new leaf?"

Don had offered his brother a half hearted grin as he admitted. "Okay, I'll confess. I am under orders from my shrink. He thinks we need to get away together, you and me. He knows you hike and stuff and he suggested I ask you if you would be willing to play tour guide to your older brother for an excursion up the mountains."

Charlie's face had absolutely lit up like a 100,000 candle watt search light. "I owe that man a nice evening out some time. Boy, could I use a little break from the rat race? You really sure you don't mind?"

"You know what? Not only do I now realize I don't mind….I'm actually looking forward to it!"

"Do you trust me?"

"With my life, Charlie….and I really mean that."

"Meet me at the house at 6."

"What do I need to pack?"

"Just your basics, jammies, toothbrush, you know…your basic 'have crisis will travel' bag to go! I'll provide everything else."

"What about hiking shoes, backpack, sleeping bag?"

"Not an issue. I'm practically a professional at this. I know your sizes, Don and I have everything you need."

"How about I bring munchies for the road trip?"

"Cool."

"See you at 6, Charlie. And thanks…"

"No, thank you. I haven't been this stoked to do something in a while." Charlie grinned.

"See you tonight!"


	2. Chapter 2

LANDSLIDE

By Hemel Lass

Aka Lady Lochinvar aka Jag's Hornetlady(sbm) aka Hemel Lass(ie)

_There's a storm up on the mountains, clouds are rolling in…the afternoon lays heavy on my shoulders! on. One of you have to know where those words are from? Right? Song….author…singer? E-mail me your answer and I will have a little prize for you! SMB, finally free!_

Chapter Two: The Adventure Begins – Revelations Abounding

When Don had arrived at Charlie's house at six, he had been a little stunned by the level of preparedness his younger brother had achieved in the interim period.

Charlie had quietly taken his older brother's bag, opened a compartment in the backpack he'd pre-packed for Don. The back pack looked pretty new, as did the attached lightweight sleeping bag.

Charles had not been kidding when he said he could be a professional outfitter. Outside of taking Don's clothes out of his bag and quickly and efficiently packing them away into the appropriate compartments of the backpack he had ready, he moved fast, as if he had done this often before. He handed Don a pair of hiking boots. "Try these on, Don, let me know how they feel."

Don sat on the couch and took off his sneakers. He slipped his feet into the shoes and was stunned, yet again. "Whoa….like heaven...these fit great! You are good at this."

"These new boots don't need a 'break in' period the way hiking boots used to. They fit right away and from that point on they conform to your fit. They just get better over time. I think you will really like them."

"I already do. I have never had a pair of shoes feel this good from the moment I put them on. Wow."

"Okay, Don, stand up…I want to get this back pack adjusted to sit right on your shoulders." Once more the expertise his brother showed adjusting the positions of the straps and where the back pack hit Don's back, so that it helped maintain his balance and would not throw him off as they hiked, blew the FBI agent's mind.

"Damn, this thing is light. You aren't carrying more of the load to go easy on me, are you?"

Charlie giggled. "Yeah, right. No, Don…these new frames are made out of a composite material, super strong, super light. They are great…makes backpacking a pleasure, not a pain. I distributed the load evenly between both of us."

"Guess I don't give you enough credit for the stuff you can do outside of the classroom, huh?"

Charlie shrugged. "It's okay. How can you give someone credit for an ability they have never demonstrated in front of you? Be realistic about your expectations of yourself, bro. You have never really been into the whole camp and climb thing, right?"

"Usually I'd rather hang out with a pretty girl than a pretty view, but maybe I need to re-evaluate my priorities."

"Do you know why I love to walk in the mountains? It gets me out of my usual spaces, Don. You look at things from a whole different perspective when you look down at it from a mountain peak. You see how small everything looks from up there."

"Our little life courses seem so important to us, but, when we have been dead for hundreds of years? Those mountains, they'll still be standing. The earth is so much smarter than people, Don. We get mad at each other because we don't look like each other, or we don't think the same. So what? Move on."

"In one stream I pass on the way up to what I call, Glory Point? I have seen the same bear going after the same smart old trout every single year. Next year I go up, I check. Trout's still there. The bear keeps missing. Why? That trout didn't have to go to some fancy college to figure it out. Instinct taught the trout how to survive…and he just keeps surviving. He gets bigger and sassier every single spring. Now some day, that bear may catch that trout. If he does, he'll have a great dinner. But, in the mean time, I am willing to bet you that big old trout has had a whole lot of offspring. They'll keep the bear and his brothers, sisters and their cubs fed for a long, long time. And they didn't need the help of man kind to do it, either. The trout just did what trout do."

"Look at the things you see in your job, Don. What idiot ever began talking about 'man kind'? Man tends to not be so kind, not to the earth and not to each other. We piss and moan about this and that, but the sun comes up and the sun goes down. This old world keeps on spinning around. Given enough time, I think the earth can heal itself of every bad thing we have done to it over the life span of 'man kind'. It is people who pollute, people who shoot other people, people who hate other people just because their face looks different or they talk funny or they walk funny. Nature? She doesn't care. Treat her with respect; she will generally be pretty kind to most any one. Mess with her, mess her up. She has a way of taking care of her own."

"Man causes most forest fires you know. Not lightning. Not some natural phenomena. Nope. Some idiot parks his car with the catalytic converter white hot, right over a patch of dried out grass. Drinks down a couple of beers and just drives away. He never even notices the smoldering grass he left behind. Heck, he probably wouldn't care if he did notice it. Putting out fires isn't his job, after all. Right?"

"Or a careless camper fails to properly extinguish his campfire? Or a bunch of kids think it's funny to light matches by the Hollywood sign? Except the next thing you know have the National Forest is ablaze, or the Hollywood Hills are an inferno, and it takes all the fire departments in the entire Los Angeles basin to control the darn thing. All, because some idiot couldn't go to a bar to have his drink." Charlie shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on you like that. It just bugs me that people think they are so darn important in the grand scheme of things. Like I said, at the beginning, you go up to the mountains, look back down on civilization; you just get a new perspective on things. Let's head out, okay?"

Don followed his younger brother out the door. "Just show the way, Charlie. You have already readjusted my thinking a bit. I am curious to see what comes next."

Charlie glanced slyly over his shoulder. "Next comes about an hour and a half of driving. We taking my energy efficient little car or your gas guzzler?"

"Uh, I think we'll let you be the tour guide on this trip, my brother. You seem to have a handle on things pretty darn good. Besides, I wouldn't want to be accused of messing with Mother Nature right at the outset of the Eppes brother's nature days! With what you just told me? The last thing I want to do is piss the lady off!" Don grinned. "Not to mention which I can snooze if I let you drive."

"You don't mind if I play my tunes?"

"Just promise me you didn't bring Amita's mix."

"No way. I'll warn you though, I'm in the mood for some country."

"I didn't know you liked country."

"Sometimes I just get in the mood. So, do you mind?"

"Nope. You're the driver. Sounds are up to you."

Charlie led the way to the Prius, tossed the backpacks into the back end and got in the driver's seat. "One, two, three, like a bird I sing…coz you've given me the most beautiful set of wings…and I'm so glad you're here today…coz tomorrow I might have to go and fly away…hey!"

Charlie hit the gas as the music began to wash over the two men. Don glanced over at his brother's big grin and he was suddenly very, very glad he had such a smart therapist. "Gee, Charlie…all we need is our six gallon hats."

Charlie shot him that side ways glance, reached behind the seat, tossed his brother a white cowboy hat and plunked a straw one on his own head. "I know how to outfit a trip to the country, my brother."

"I'm beginning to understand that. This is already one hell of a revelation, Chuck. Drive on! Next thing you know, you'll be teaching me the two step."

"Remember how to do the Horah?"

"Like Aunt Irene has ever given us a chance to forget?"

"Well, that will pass in most country bars I have ever been at. Folk dance is folk dance, Don. The music changes more than the moves."


	3. Chapter 3

Landslide

_Just a short one…but also a reminder, I am working on these as fast as I can. I will try to add something to Spring Break Baby and maybe A Valentine's Adventure today as well. Enjoy! SMB_

Chapter Three: Almost Heaven

Don started awake, confused by the straw filtered sunlight falling on his face. He surpressed a smile as he realized he must have nodded off beneath the Stetson Charlie had plunked on his head at the start of their drive. He could hear his younger brother singing along with an old John Denver song at the top of his lungs. He had forgotten what a sweet, pure singing voice Charlie had. The two of them had often sung along with the music of John Denver growing up because their mother loved it so much. Nice association to wake up to. He listened a moment, to be sure he knew which chorus they were at, before he began to sing too.

"_Almost heaven, West Virginia  
Blue Ridge Mountains  
Shenandoah River -  
Life is old there  
Older than the trees  
Younger than the mountains  
Growing like a breeze_

Country roads, take me home  
To the place I belong  
West Virginia, Mountain Momma  
Take me home, country roads

All my memories gathered round her  
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water  
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky  
Misty taste of moonshine  
Teardrops in my eye

Country roads, take me home  
To the place I belong  
West Virginia, Mountain Momma  
Take me home, country roads

I hear her voice  
In the morning hour, she calls me  
The radio reminds me of my home far away  
And driving down the road, I get a feeling  
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

Country roads, take me home  
To the place I belong  
West Virginia, Mountain Momma  
Take me home, country roads

Country roads, take me home  
To the place I belong  
West Virginia, Mountain Momma  
Take me home, country roads  
Take me home, now country roads  
Take me home, now country roads"  
  
Words and music by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver

As the song drew to a close, Charlie hit a button silencing the machine. "Welcome back, sleeping beauty. Have a nice nap?"

"Uh, yeah." Don pushed the hat up so he could look at his brother. "Sorry about that."

"Why? If you needed a nap, it's a good thing you got one now. When we get to the trailhead, you won't be able to nod off hiking up to tonight's campsite! Conserve energy while you can, Don. I had fun singing along to my tunes. Didn't seem to bother you that I was singing so loud."

"Remember how much Mom used to love JD's music?"

"Come on, Don. Be honest. We all loved John Denver's music."

"Yeah. Still bums me out sometimes that he is gone."

"Well, at least he died doing something he loved, you know. I had been concerned about what I saw as a design flaw in the fuel transfer system of the Experimental Aircraft he was flying. We had talked about it on the phone just a couple of days before…"

"You never mentioned you had spoken to him that close, Charlie…"

"We weren't exactly on a daily exchange of information at that point in our relationship, Don. Anyway, the FAA questioned me. They knew when we had been brainstorming different modifications to overcome a fuel transfer problem. I gave them the three work arounds we had brainstormed trying. Turned out it was something else entirely that was the actual cause of the crash…vacuum leak…any way…it was very technical. It really irked me that people thought he was careless about the level of fuel. It wasn't anything like that…" Charlie's voice trailed off, a slight frown on his face as he remembered. He shook himself out of his reverie. "There is a reason they call the Experimental Aircraft. It was cutting edge stuff. John Denver didn't have a death wish…he just liked to dance on the edge of the wind. It was one of his great loves. It's those of us left behind who are the poorer for his early passing. John is up there somewhere, soaring on Eagle's Wings, now. Hey, let's sing that one…." He hit a few buttons and the song began…

"I am the Eagle; I live in high places, in rocky cathedrals that reach to the sky.

I am the Hawk and there's blood on my feathers, but time is still burning – they soon will be dry…"

Don joined in and the miles flew by as the little blue Prius clawed its way up steep mountain roads heading for a summit, a place to park…and the location where the brother's adventure would really begin….


	4. Chapter 4

Landslide FV barring mistakes found

Chapter 4: Where, oh, where, are you tonight?

Don gathered his jacket around him and shivered, but it was his heart that really froze. Charlie was out there some where". He was probably in pain, injured; Don didn't even want to imagine he was dead – already starting down the road to decomposition.

That thought was really creepy, but his stubborn and very concerned brain kept wandering back to the damndable image of Charles lying on the autopsy table, battered and bloody and very, very dead. _Please, don't let that be true. If there is a God in Heaven, please, I know You are a great guy, but Charlie is my brother. He does so much good here on earth, we need him. Please be with him and protect him some how. He's alone. I don't know where he is. Let him here me calling, please, God._

Maybe that last little rock was too much of a bonk or something, because the thoughts that were tumbling through Don's brain didn't make sense. Even to him, and he was the one thinking them. _Right? Sheesh. Can we say head injury?_

All Donnie could remember to phrase as a kind of a prayer were: here was the weird thing, words from a song from the TV Hillbilly Variety Show from his youth, **Hee Haw**, for pity's sake.

"_Where, oh, where, are you tonight? Why did you leave me here alone? I searched the world d over and I thought I found true love….you met another (your mother yet) and phttt you were gone."_

Wasn't it Grandpa Jones and Roy Clark who sang that? Sheesh. What a weird memory to pop up at a time like this?

It was immediately followed by another song. "_Some where out there, beneath a clear blue sky, some one's thinking of me, and loving me tonight…" _

Don didn't even realize he was actually singing it a loud, until he heard a weak quavering voice join him for the next few lines…

_Somewhere out there,_

_Someone's saying a prayer,_

_that we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there._

Charlie's weak, pain wracked voice went on through the end of the next interlude.

_And even though I know how very far apart we are,_

_It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star._

"Charlie, God, you scared the crap out of me. Where are you? How can I help?"

"Whatever you do, Don, don't try and help me. Listen to me. This is really important. The rockslide took me over the side. I tumbled down quite a ways until I slammed into a boulder outcropping that is firm. I'm pinned in by other rocks and debris, but I am solid…provided you don't try and come down here!"

"That's crazy. You are hurt. I can hear it in your voice. You need attention… I'm not going to stay safe up here while you …you could go into shock and die on me, Charlie and that is not an acceptable option."

"Damn it, Don. For once in your life, admit you don't know everything. Ever taken a high rescue course? Or a fast water rescue course? Huh? Ever gone on an extraction rescue for a mountain slide before? That does not count snow rescue for like skiing and stuff because I know we have both been on both the searcher and the found sides of those. I am talking hiking, climbing, helicopter rappelling. You have that kind of background and I don't know it?" By the time he finished that spiel, Charlie was gasping, struggling to get air and calm himself down.

Don knew it too. "Look, Charlie. You are right. I'm sorry. I admit I am out of my normal element. I mean they teach us some basic stuff about that at the Academy and I learned some living in New Mexico, but I usually wasn't on the vertical rescue or anything. You have learned that stuff? I mean I thought a couple of years ago, Dad said you were doing stuff to try and get over a fear of vertical height climbs so you could rock climb with someone."

Amused and calmer…after a pause, Charlie replied. "Yeah, well, I got over it. And once I did, I took the plunge in a big way. Remember when I went to Washington to consult with the NSA later that year? Well, I told you guys it was for a consult with another government agency, but not which one.

"After the work was done? Bob Tompkins and I went to play. We went rock climbing. Afterwards, we went to Quantico and a couple of other training facilities and I got certified for high rescue, rapid rappel and mountain search and rescue – extraction and recovery. Been on a few in the mountains up here too. I'm not real high on the list most times, but when they can't locate someone and time is running out? The combination of my knowledge of the trails in Southern Cal and math can really do some serious corner cutting in searching for missing hikers and stuff. It isn't always a happy ending, but…."

"Charlie, you just don't know how to do things in a small way, do you?" Don responded. "I'm proud of you, Charlie. Overcoming a fear like that and turning it into another skill set to help people. That's really so, you, man."

"Yeah, well, unfortunately, I can't always predict when erosion and other factors will generate a slide. I was up here not that long ago and the ridge above us that gave way, looked okay. But we did have that one heavy rain since and I guess stuff shifted."

"Come on, Charlie. I may not be "Mother Nature's Son", but even I know that Mother Nature delights in confounding the scientific mind with yet another show of the fact that we can observe, but we can't really control her displays of power. Right?"

"True."

"How bad are you messed up, Charlie?" Don could hear the pain in his brother's voice. He knew the difficulty in breathing indicated broken ribs, possibly bleeding into his chest. His brother had described himself as pinned against a boulder by other rocks and debris. That meant pressure on his chest from both sides, restricting the amount his lungs could expand, whether or not he was actually bleeding into his chest or dealing with a collapsed lung or two already.

"It isn't good, but I will keep. For now, we both have to hunker down and hang on. Tonight is going to get chilly, but I will be okay. Let me go through what you need to know for the morning. Okay?"

"Right, but give yourself a few minutes now to get some decent air in your lungs, Charlie. You sound pretty breathless."

"Yeah. Okay, but not for long. I need to get this said. Give me just a few."

"You got it, bro. Hang in there, buddy. I really don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Don. I really believe that. I'm messed up, but barring any more catastrophes I can hold out to morning and you getting help. I'll walk you through it."

"Fine, fine. Rest, Buddy. Get some wind back."

Silence fell…and suddenly the flood gates opened and Don Eppes found himself really, really praying for his brother. Their situation was perilous and if there was a higher power…they sure could use His help. Especially his little brother, Charlie.

4


	5. Chapter 5

Landslide

By Hemel Lass(ie)

Chapter Five: Taking Directions

_I wanted to get some of this up today. It hasn't been beta'd. SMB_

The moments passed too slowly for Don's peace of mind, but finally, his brother's voice reached his waiting ears again. "Okay, Don. Thanks for waiting for me to get back to you."

"How you doing, buddy?"

"Well, let's not go there. I'm hanging in, okay? Look. How about you? How are you? Injuries? An honest assessment, Don – no macho crap."

"No macho crap, huh? Okay. You pushed me clear of the worst of it, but I got bonked on the head a few times."

"How long were you unconscious?"

"I am not really sure, but I don't think too long. I mean, I remember most of the slide going by, just getting hit by some debris, but the dirt and the dust cloud was such, I completely unable to keep track of you. My back is a little sore and my one ankle is a little banged up, but I don't think it is even sprained really, just bruised."

"That's good. You should be able to handle the short cut to the highest point."

"Highest point? How far am I going? Charlie, I don't like the idea of me leaving you."

"Do you have your cell phone, Don? Is it still working?"

Don took out his cell phone and checked. "It's working, but I am not getting a signal."

"I didn't think you would get a signal. This part of the trail is a switchback and I'm afraid it is a dead zone as far as cellular service is concerned. Fortunately, this isn't a large dead zone, but, if you take the easy trail up, it would take you a couple of hours post day break to get to a clear signal that was strong enough for them to lock on to and send rescue up."

"So that way is out." Don said firmly. "The trail we were walking is easy to find. How hard is it going to be for me to find this 'short cut'?"

"It isn't hard. Now listen carefully. You go up the trail from here…is the trail still visible?"

"Before it got dark, yeah, the trail is still visible and pretty much clear. The slide mostly slid over it…it didn't stay on it. There's loose dirt and it's messy, but still plainly visible."

"About 500 yards up, the trail hangs a right by this huge redwood. Instead of following the obvious trail on up from that point. At that right hand turn, you will see a narrower path leading off at a somewhat left angle. That is the trail you want. It is narrow and a little steep, but still a hiking trail, not a climbing one. It should take you maybe 20 minutes to make it to the summit. Don't push yourself too hard, Don. It will pretty much take those twenty minutes no matter how you pace yourself. You'll see why once you are on it. You will know right away when you have reached the highest point. It's a clearing. You can see …well, it is a great view. Anyway, once you get there, you should have a good strong signal on your cell phone. Turn it off now, to save the battery power."

"Already done, Charlie. Look, why don't I try for it now?"

"NO!" His brother gasped, as it was obvious he had physically overreacted to the suggestion of his brother trying to leave in the dark. "Don, please. Trust me. That would NOT be a good thing. It has to be done after daybreak. Promise me…please." The last part almost came out as a sob.

"Hey, easy, brother." Don hadn't meant to make things worse. "Excuse me if I just wish I could do something for you now."

"Talk to me, for a while."

"Talk?"

"Yeah. You know…talk to me. Distract me. I'm a little chilly. What was the coldest assignment you ever worked on?"

"You are cold, so you want me to talk to you about the coldest assignment I ever worked?"

"Yeah. All the gory details, bro." His voice sounded steadier.

"Let's see. Me and Coop were trailing this fugitive who led us into the wilds of Minnesota."

"Minnesota. Yeah, I've heard that's really cold." Charlie responded. "Was this in the winter time?"

"Damn straight, it was winter. The guy was hiding out on a farm for a while. Than he takes off. He was really making like Daniel Boone or something, going through all these woods and stuff, but we didn't have that much trouble with that. It was the fact he wound up hiding out in one of those ice fishing houses. I mean it's just a shack on a damn frozen lake, but that was one cold detail. Not the easiest place to sneak up on either."

"You got him though, right?"

"We did, but not before we damn near froze our asses off. I can't believe any body actually lives in that state, Charlie. I NEVER want to go there again. And the people from around there…they thought WE talked weird. That is the strangest accent…you know anybody from Minnesota?"

"Professor Bundersnoden teaches Applied Liquid Dynamics at Cal Sci. He's from Minnesota. You're right. The accent takes some getting used to. He is very glad to be FROM Minnesota, so he proclaims, very loudly, every fall. He goes back to see the leaves change, but hightails it back here as fast as he can. He doesn't miss snow at all. He used to be really into cross country skiing back home, but no one can persuade him to even visit snow, now that he lives in California."

"Sounds like a man with good sense to me. Look, you didn't hurt yourself when I mentioned leaving earlier, did you?"

"Don't worry, Don. No additional damage done. Just can't really jump the way I am pinned in here. You know?"

"No, I don't' know, damn it and it is driving me crazy. What aren't you telling me? How bad are you, Charlie? Talk to me, now. And tell me the truth. Please…"

There was too long of a hesitation, but slowly his brother responded. "Okay. I'll give you the straight deal. I'm pretty sure I have a partially collapsed lung on the left side. The good news is it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. No harder breathing, now than earlier. I am not sure if this good or bad, but I can't feel much below my waist. Don't panic, over that, big brother. I think it's numb because I hit this rock so hard and it's just bruised the heck out of my back. I mean, at first I could feel! Frankly, I'll take this numbness I have now over that, because I am pretty sure I have a bad break of my right leg below the knee. That hurt like heck at first. So, I welcome the numbness. I really just think it's bruised."

"What else?"

"My pack got knocked sort of funny when I was tumbling, so I can't get to my jacket or supplies at all. I've sort of pulled the looser debris around me. Acts like a kind of blanket, you know? It's not much, but it helps."

"Other injuries."

"I'm bruised and scraped pretty much all over. Looks like one very bad case of road rash, I imagine. Do you have your supplies?"

"Yeah. Look, isn't there some way I can get a blanket down to you or something?"

"No. Look, Don. I am being totally practical here. I'm not trying to be noble. The way the load came down this mountainside, even in full light and with the right gear, for you to get anything to me safely…it wouldn't happen. They are going to have to do some rigging to get to me, Don. The kind of thing best left to the experts. I wouldn't be in on a rescue like this myself. I mean that."

Don punched the ground in frustration. He could hear the truth in Charlie's voice. He knew his brother wasn't misleading him, but it was so damned frustrating. He needed to do something.

"Guess you'll never want to come on a trip like this again, huh?" The regret in Charlie's voice motivated a quick response.

"Well, leave out the slide and I'm your man."

"Really?"

"Come on, Charlie. This isn't your fault and I was really enjoying it until the world went crazy. I didn't think I would, but I really was. You were right about it being beautiful up here and all. So, we get you home, get you better and we'll do this again. We will. Okay?"

"Deal."


	6. Chapter 6

Landslide

By Hemel Lass(ie)

Chapter Six: A Long Night's Journey Toward Daybreak

_Sorry, it has taken me so long to update, but the week got a little crazy. If you like 'brother time', you might like this chapter...or not. Enjoy! Smb 6__16__2007_

_\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/_

Don jerked awake, cursing the fact he had dozed off again. "Charlie? Hey, bro…how are you doing?"

"Still hanging in there. Or should I say, out here?" The professor's voice was definitely weaker and he broke off into a spasm of coughing that left him gasping for air afterwards. It was several moments before he spoke again. "Wow, that really hurt."

"Sorry, I keep nodding off on you."

"Just so long as you wake up every couple of hours, it's a good thing, if you get some rest, Don." Charlie replied, seriously.

"What time do you think it is?"

"I don't just think, I know. It's 0245 Hours, military time, Don."

"How can you be so sure? Have you been checking your watch to see how long I sleep each time?"

"No, nothing like that. The position of the stars, Don. That's the way our ancestors told time at night and it is very accurate. While you dozed, I have been enjoying the show."

"What show?"

"Meteor shower. Lean back and look straight up, big brother."

"Is this one of those regularly scheduled ones?"

Charlie half laughed/half snorted, in response to that remark from his brother. "Regularly scheduled? What, like a TV show? No, brother mine, this is NOT a 'regularly scheduled' meteor shower. There are actually a lot of meteor showers you can see up at this elevation, that are never visible in the valley, where light pollution obscures so much of the night sky. I just noticed a while ago that we were having a bit of a meteor shower."

Don's eyes opened wider as a particularly large meteor streaked across the sky above them. 'Hey, Charlie, did you…?"

"That was a big one, wasn't it? That was very, very cool."

"Yeah. Almost like those fireworks that imitate them? You know?"

"I know. You always loved fireworks when we were kids."

"Still do. Hey, don't make it sound like that was JUST me. I seem to recall you liked them pretty good too, brother."

"As you said…I still do, as well." Charlie coughed. It had a wetter sound than Don had heard before.

"Hey, how are you doing, brother?" Don's heart thudded painfully against his chest as he waited for his brother to respond.

"Oh, I've been better." His guide replied, eventually. "It's been getting harder to breath. "

"Are you bringing up anything when you cough?"

"Who do you think you are, Doctor Donald, now? The answer is no, not really. There is fluid in my chest. I can feel it move around some when I cough, but it doesn't come up. At least not so far. Even if it did, it's too dark for me to tell you what color my 'sputum' is, Doc!" The retort had no bite, just stated fact.

"Pain in your legs come back?"

"Nope. Nothing below my lower back."

Don frowned. He hoped that didn't indicate permanent damage had been done. His younger brother loved walking. In fact, he called it 'his sport'.

Now, the FBI agent had never considered WALKING a sport, but, if his brother thought it was, it was.

To Don, walking was something you did to get from one place to another, not a 'sport'. Most Southern Californians didn't indulge in a whole lot of walking. Los Angeles and the greater metropolitan area of the same was a car driver's dream, but not really public transportation, nor walker friendly. Most neighborhoods didn't even have sidewalks!

Charlie had always enjoyed going for long walks. Even as a child, Charlie would disappear from the time he was old enough to be allowed out of the back yard. More than once, as a young boy, Charlie had driven his parents and older brother frantic with worry when he vanished from the immediate neighborhood, until Alan figured out that before anyone panicked, he should get out his car and drive around the blocks of the neighborhood in an ever larger search pattern looking for the young wanderer. The boy was never lost…he was 'just out walking' when his parents demanded an explanation. Finally, a frustrated Margaret had put an end to the walkabouts unless Charlie was accompanied by one of his parents or his older brother. Young Charles had not been happy, but he was a well-behaved child, so he followed his parents' edict, from that day on.

Don remembered wishing his parents hadn't curbed that wandering instinct, because the already bookish youngster had spent less time outside after the 'no alone walking' rule was issued. It got to the point where, unless his parents forced him, or his older brother cajoled him, Charlie would stay engrossed in his mathematical pursuits, generally indoors to boot. Some of the impulsiveness and exuberance of the call outdoors was taken away from the youngest Eppes, when his exploration impulse was restrained by the rule. The spontaneity he had enjoyed before was gone…and did not reappear for many years.

To his older brother's thinking, it was another part of just being a kid that was stolen from Charlie too soon. That was when Don had taken it upon himself to begin teaching Charlie physical sports like basketball. He had to find some way to get his brother out of the house and working up a sweat. It just wasn't natural for a kid to study all the time. It wasn't right. It wasn't really a childhood.

"Hey, brother….did you fall back asleep on me?" Charlie's voice came through the darkness.

"No. I was just remembering how you drove Mom and Dad crazy, for a while, when you discovered there was a world outside our front and back yard."

"Ah! My 'walk about' phase. That didn't last very long. Mom put her foot down and said I couldn't go walking without you or one of them."

"That's because you scared us half to death those first few times, Charlie. One minute you are right there, in the yard, safe and sound; the next, you were gone! We would call and search all the neighbors' yards, but no Charlie. You were just a kid, Chuck! You had already made news, by that point, with your 'gifts'; and, we were afraid somebody had kidnapped you or something."

"Really? Is that why Mom and Dad were always so upset? I just wanted to explore, on my own. I was never even lost or anything. I just went for a walk. It never made sense to me, why every one was so upset. You could go play ball or just hang out with friends, but, if I went for a walk, it was like the end of the world. Mom and Dad never told me why they were so upset. If they had told me that…"

"They didn't want to make you afraid, Charlie. It was our job to look out for you, not the other way around."

"It shouldn't have been your job, Don." There was regret in his younger brother's voice. "I really screwed up your childhood, didn't I?"

"Oh, come on. That's bunk, Charlie. Older brothers always have to look out for their younger sisters or brothers. It goes with the territory of being an older sibling. I mean, thank heaven that you weren't a girl, kid! That brings a whole 'nother layer of responsibility to being the oldest one."

"And to being the parent, as well, I imagine. Do you think Mom and Dad would have preferred me to be a girl? You know, one of each? One boy and one girl. Do you think they wanted that?"

"Hey, I was there, Charlie. The only hope Mom and Dad expressed about you once they told me I was going to have a brother or a sister was that you would be healthy. Mom and Dad weren't real into the whole 'one of each' thing."

"You think?"

"No, brother, this I know. They were delighted when you made your somewhat premature appearance, Charlie. Mom was scared when she went into labor early. She was afraid it was too soon."

"Really? I didn't know I was early enough being born for it to be a concern."

"Yeah. Well, you were."

"How did you take it, when they told you that you were going to have a brother or sister?"

"Oh, I suppose I reacted pretty typically. At first, I wasn't sure what to think. Part of me thought it was pretty cool, that there would be someone else around the house. You know, maybe I could get away with more…plus the idea of having a built in playmate to pal around with was appealing. At the same time, it was going to steal some of my thunder, you know? Probably I was a mixed bag of feelings." Don admitted.

"Unfortunately I stole way more of your thunder than any one anticipated." Charlie had barely gotten those words out before he started coughing hard, repeatedly.

Don cringed at the sound. "Buddy, buddy, easy…try and take it easy. Easy, bro." It seemed forever before the coughing spell eased up. Charlie was silent, which just worried his brother more. "Charlie? Are you okay?"

"Give me….a minute." Was the response.

This was becoming the longest night of his life, Don found himself thinking. The journey towards daylight was taking too much time. Time his younger brother could not afford to lose. "Charlie…?"

"I'm….still here, bro." Effort was obvious in each pause and break in his speaking. "It's just…harder to keep talking. I think I will try and get some sleep."

"I'm not so sure that is a good idea." Don felt frantic at the thought of not hearing his brother's voice.

"Hey, did I keep….you from….resting?" Charlie responded.

Somehow Don Eppes didn't think him dozing off was going to be an issue the rest of this long night through. Problem was…Charlie was far enough away, if he dozed off…or slipped into unconsciousness or shock, Don wouldn't be able to hear that. The coughing he could hear well enough to scare him witless. Silence was the enemy. He shifted position, thinking if he moved closer at least he could hear if Charlie was in acute distress.

"Don, don't." The younger man spoke up, immediately. "Don't even think of moving closer, please. I'm telling you. It could be a serious problem. You don't want to make things worse, do you?"

"Of course not. It's just…I can hear the coughing well enough, but…"

"Listen to me, Don. I may not be an architectural engineer like Dad," Silence as Charlie struggled to get enough air to continue his explanation to his brother, "but I do know a thing or two about load balances, movement dynamics and things like that." Again, silence except for clearly painful gasps for air that WERE audible to Don. "I'll…I won't go to sleep. Okay? Just don't try to come closer. Promise me that, Donnie. Please?"

"No, look. Charlie, if you need to grab some rest and you can, do it. I'll stay put until daybreak…than I will head out to get help. The last thing I want to do is make things worse for you."

Daybreak was not going to come soon enough for one impatient older brother/FBI agent.


	7. Chapter 7

Landslide

By Hemel Lass(ie)

Chapter Seven: Waiting for Daybreak

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The false dawn was streaking the skies. The time in between had been very taxing on Don, emotionally.

When he had told his younger brother that he should grab some rest if he could, Charlie had apparently taken him at his word because conversation stopped.

The only sounds Don had heard from over the side for the past few hours had been harsh coughing and occasionally, gasping.

Don had had the luxury of getting his sleeping bag out and basically rolling up in it. He also had water to drink and trail mix to snack on. Knowing he had to keep himself in shape to make the trek up the mountain to call for rescue, Don had taken advantage of that fact, but not without more than a twinge of guilt at doing so.

_Okay, enough with the silence. Time to rouse his younger brother had come._ "Charlie? Yo, brother mine. Wake up. Rise and shine."

Silence.

"Come on, Chuck. Don't do this to me. I am NOT going anywhere until you acknowledge me, damn it. Wake the hell up!"

"God…you are such a grouch when you don't get your morning caffeine fix, brother. And DON'T call me Chuck."

"Chuckles?"

Charlie's response was to cough harshly for an extended period of time, triggering another shot of adrenalin to Don's already overtaxed system. "Hey, easy, buddy. I'm sorry; guess now isn't the time to indulge in my brotherly annoyance duty."

It took a few moments after the coughing spasm, but Charlie finally answered him. "Brotherly annoyance DUTY? You consider annoying me part of being an older brother?"

Smiling a little, Don responded. "Sure, bro. Among the more perk-ish duties, perhaps, but it does go with the territory. If I don't annoy you, who will?"

"My students, Larry, Dad…Amita sometimes. The list is long and somewhat illustrious, Don. In fact, the leader of the pack these days is probably Millie. Yeah. The president of the Annoy Charlie club is definitely Dr. Mildred Finch." The humor was dry, but definitely present.

"Well, now. That's just not fair. I should be president….I've been doing it longer."

"Yes, but she does it PROFESSIONALLY."

"Okay, point to the professor." Don made his admission sound begrudging. "How are you doing, Charlie?" The question was serious.

"Still here. Still stuck here, literally between… a rock and well, a lot of other rocks and dirt, I guess technically. Thanks for letting me drift off, Don. I was really just tired of hurting all the time, you know? I needed a little break."

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"I realize that you just woke up or came to…whatever it was, but Charlie…that didn't really tell me much about HOW you are…." Don prompted.

"Oh, so you want an actual inventory? Give me some time. I'll try and sort through things, so I can update you on my condition." Silence fell again. It stretched on for too long.

Don tried to be patient. He really did. _Truth was, one of the reasons he quit playing baseball was that he didn't really handle waiting in silence all that well. Sitting in the dugout, waiting for his turn was the least favorite part of THE GAME to Don. He just didn't handle waiting well_.

When the silence had finally gotten on his last remaining nerve, Don snapped. "Chuck, are you still awake? Or, did you phase on me again?"

"Phase out? I didn't phase out, big brother; or pass out;or, fall asleep. Frankly, I wasn't sure exactly how to categorize how I feel."

_Again with the silence_.

"Expand on that for me a little, brother. Maybe start with what you CAN feel…"

"Hurts to breath very deep. I'm okay so long as I don't let the urge to cough take over, but once I start coughing…well, it hurts a LOT to cough."

"So, you've been avoiding doing it?" Don sounded as incredulous as he felt. "You know it's important to breath as deep as you can, as often, as you can…right?"

Charlie was silent for a bit. He responded, reluctantly. "In my head? Yeah, I know that. Carrying it out is quite another thing though. Breathing very deeply is pretty much out of the question. Inhaling too much, even real carefully. It triggers the coughing. Don, maybe you have never noticed this about me, but I am not real into pain."

"Nobody is into pain, Charlie."

"We both know that isn't true. Some people are into pain. It's kinky, but they are. And you, athletic types, you are real into pushing past the pain to do things any way. That is also not my thing. Myself, I'll avoid pain as much as possible. Wait that probably sounded wrong." Charlie seemed to mentally shake himself. "But you know what I meant, right?"

"I understand what you are saying, yes. On the other hand, I know it is really important that you breathe enough to keep your lungs from filling up with stuff, not just collapsing, but fluid can settle in and you can get…"

Charlie sighed. "It's called 'stasis pneumonia', Don… Trust me, I have a good start on the way to that particular phenomena. See the thing is, when you have a crushing injury; how much you can inhale and exhale is constrained, you know?" He coughed, wetly. Coughed some more and Don could hear him bring something up and spit it away from himself. "God…" his brother muttered loud enough to carry to his ears. "That is just gross! Not too mention, it hurts! Shit."

Don looked up at the lightening sky. It still wasn't casting enough light for him to see the trail, but his brother didn't sound good. He sounded weaker. Worse, he sounded distracted and discouraged. He sounded tired.

_So, give him something to do._

"What time do you reckon it is?" Don asked, facetiously.

"What's the matter, Don? Your watch break? Or are you trying to occupy my mind? Trying to distract me with some kind of purpose filled activity."

_Great time to pick to suddenly be so savvy, little brother. _

"I guess it is something along those lines, Charlie." _Honesty was probably the best policy at this point, seeing as little brother clearly wasn't being fooled into thinking anything else_. "I gather it isn't really working?"

"No, but I appreciate the effort."

The response was ironic, but spoken with a weariness that tore at his older brother's heart.

"It's just, I know the score here, Don. Daylight is probably another hour or two off. The trail you need to follow…it isn't safe for you to leave before full daybreak. Promise me you won't try any thing like that, okay? Don? Promise. I don't like this hesitation thing you have going on."

"Turn about is fair play, younger brother. You take your sweet time answering me."

_Okay, that came out sounding pretty snappish_. Don winced at his own tone.

"Don..I'm sorry. I don't mean. It's hard…it hurts and I get tired trying to talk. Okay? I am not dragging my responses out on purpose. Honest."

_Great, big brother, the kid is struggling just to breathe and now you have gone and made him feel guilty for it. _

"Charlie, don't. I'm sorry. I didn't mean. Look, I know it has to hurt and it's hard to breath. It just…it freaks me out not being able to see you or touch you. Knowing you are hurt. We are so near to each other, yet so damn far apart! I can't come to you…or help you through this."

"Wrong, Don. You are helping me through this. Believe me. If I were alone, I think…" Charlie hesitated, but decided his brother had the right to the whole truth, even if it scared them both shitless. "Frankly, I think I would have just given up hours ago. I made it through this far, because I couldn't let you think I just gave up."

"Okay. I'm not sure if I should be glad you were that honest. Or scared to death because it's not that long until I have to leave you, to go fetch help."

"That's different, Don. I'll hang on when you go for help, because I know you'll be back. I would not want you to come back and have me not able to answer you when you get here. Does it help some for you to know that?"

"Yeah. I guess it helps. Can't say it fills me with confidence, but, you are that bad. Aren't you?" Don felt like an invisible hand was squeezing his heart.

"Let's not exaggerate things. I figure my one lung is pretty much gone - collapsed or filled with fluid and blood. It doesn't much matter which, or," a long pause…. "what combination of those. The other has some capacity left, or we wouldn't be talking, at all. Comprende?"

"I'm reading you, bro."

"My legs and lower half don't feel anything, so nothing new there. However, my back where it hit the rock/my backpack hurts like a son of a ….well, you know."

"Charlie, under these circumstances, you are allowed to swear, you know?"

"Well, I understand that in principle, Don. But, the reality is that I picture either Mom or Pop's reaction and. I just can't…you know?"

"Boy, they really got to you, didn't they, bro?"

"Side effect of being the youngest?" Charlie queried.

"More like I was faster at getting out of range before Mom or Dad could do anything about my potty mouth." Don replied, allowing himself a grin at the memories.

Charlie must have drawn on the same or similar ones because he snorted and retorted.

"Yeah, meanwhile, back at home, I GOT THE LECTURE. I wasn't even the one who used the bad word."

'Well, Chuck…a certain amount of language was kind of a prerequisite to the dugout, you know?"

"Believe me, I was close enough to the dugout, I had a wonderful education in all the vernaculars. I just could never safely make use of them. Still can't. Professors don't talk that way around their students. Not usually, any way."

Don grinned a little, as he replied. "Good thing, I'm not a professor, I guess."

"So, supervising Agent's in charge are allowed with the bad language, huh?"

"Let's just say that, like the dugout, it sort of goes with the territory."


	8. Chapter 8

Landslide

By Hemel Lass(ie)

Chapter Eight: Sunrise

At last, the morning broke. The sky brightened and the first glimpse of the edge of the sun lit up Don's vantage point, but Charlie was down to only making one or two word reports and had been at that level of interaction too long for Don's comfort.

It was Charlie though that spoke up first to say it was daylight enough. "Time for you to head out, big brother."

"I'm not so sure this is the right thing for me to do. Are you sure there is no way for me to get over where I can check on you, get you some water or some thing?"

"Dead sure." The response left no room for debate. "Don, any attempt to do so on your part will trigger this mess coming down on me. I wouldn't survive that. There is a good chance you'd come over with the added slide you triggered, so all you would accomplish is Dad loses both his sons."

It was the most words the professor had managed to string together for a long time.

Don frowned. "What's that mean, Charlie? Are you saying he is going to lose you? Are you sending me away so I don't have to listen to…to my little brother dying? Cause if that is it that is SOOO not going to happen."

"Damn it, Don. No. Don't give me credit that I am willing to be some kind of noble martyr. I have no intention…" Charlie broke off when he was seized by a coughing fit that seemed to go on forever to his anxious older brother.

Don found he couldn't draw a breath himself until the spate was done.

At last, the professor turned tour guide drew a shaky, tentative breath and went on with what he had been trying to say. "Well, before I so rudely…." Breath; a few more words were managed, "interrupted myself." Another torturous breath drawn. "I intend to be alive when you come back."

Taking charge of something at last, the older brother cut in. "When I get to this clearing, who do I call? Do I hit 911?"

Without hesitation, Charlie replied. "No, can you turn on your Nextel and program this number in?"

Don powered on his phone. "Go ahead."

"Okay, here it is – (750) 555-9299."

"And who is that?"

"High Mountain Rangers Search and Rescue. They are the closest. They really know this area." A pause to cough some more and draw painful air into tormented lungs. "Tell them…it is a face rescue. Loose material still sliding. I'm about 35 feet down, literally caught between a rock and a hard place. Got that?"

"I've got it. These guys any good? And do they have paramedics?" Don was worried and he didn't handle worried real well when it came to Charlie or his dad.

"They do. They are the best." Coughing again, a moment more to recover. "And don't be so chauvinistic. 'They' include more than one woman."

"I'll remember that."

"Good, because if I tell Megan what you said, she will kick your ass."

"Well, that would be just plain mean, little brother. I'm heading out."

"Don't rush it, Don."

"Yea. Yea, you told me that already. Slow and steady is the best I can manage, right? Are they going to have to triangulate on me or what?"

"They are GPS equipped, Don. They'll know where you are as soon as you phone it in."

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Charlie. You hang on until I get back…you hear me?"

"I fully intend to…and trust me. I won't be going anywhere. I really am wedged in here." His younger brother retorted.

"Hang tough, buddy. Help is on its way."

"Go careful, be safe."

"I will, Charlie. Wouldn't help either one of us if the one going for help needed rescuing too, right?"

"Right. Look, Don…just in case…tell Dad..."

"No. You do not get to pull that, Chuck. You will tell Dad and Amita and Larry anything you need to say. Got that?"

"Yes, sir."

"I am serious, Charlie."

"So am I. It's just…"

"Don't – do not go there." Don wasn't allowing any quarter on this. "If I am going to leave you, even just for a little while, it is with the understanding you will hang on. Right?"

"Right. Sorry."

"Hey, we have a date when you recover. We are going to do this outing again, without the drama. Right?"

"Right." His brother's voice was stronger and more confident. "I fully intend to collect on that promise, Don."

"Good, because I really do want to do it. The next time though, I want you to teach me…what is it called – trail craft? I want to learn about hiking up here and how to know a switchback from a turn in the trail. Deal?"

"Deal, big brother. I love you."

"I love you too, Charlie. Don't forget that, ever. You aren't just my brother. You are my best friend – always. Okay?"

"Thanks, Don."

"I mean it, buddy. I really do."

"Ditto."

"Okay…I'm off and hiking. Hang in there."

"Roger that."

Don stood, got his bearings, looked once more towards the side his brother had gone over, but Charlie seemed to have developed a sixth sense on these things or something.

"Don't even think about it, Don. Get moving."

"I'm going…I'm going. I'll never live this down, will I? Having to take instructions from you…" The grousing was intended as a good natured tease.

"Right, who am I going to tell that would actually believe me, bro?" His response came quickly.

Don started up the path. He left his back pack behind, carrying only a couple of extra waters, his phone and leaving his light jacket on until the sun warmed the air more. Once he cleared the area of the trail the landslide had passed over, the path was clear and easy to follow. He intended to make the best time he could to the bend of the path where he had to find the short cut would be.


End file.
